Organization and Focus
One paragraph, one job
Organization questions give you a paragraph or a short message and ask which sentence belongs elsewhere, which transition fits, or where a new paragraph should begin. The test is always the same: does this sentence serve the main point?
Find the main idea. Nearly every paragraph carries one claim, usually stated first. Every other sentence should support, explain, or illustrate it. A sentence that introduces a new topic - even an interesting one - breaks unity and usually belongs in its own paragraph or nowhere at all.
Order matters. Instructions run chronologically. Bad news follows a buffer, then reasons, then the decision, then a forward-looking close. Routine requests lead with the request itself; persuasive messages lead with the benefit. Comparison paragraphs keep the two subjects in a consistent order throughout.
Transitions signal relationships. However, nevertheless, in contrast mark contrast; therefore, as a result mark cause and effect; for example, specifically mark illustration; first, next, finally mark sequence. A transition that contradicts the logic - however where you are actually adding a supporting point - is a classic wrong answer. Test each option by naming the relationship between the two sentences it bridges.
Paragraph length. Short paragraphs read faster and are correct more often in business writing. Start a new paragraph when the subject changes, when the purpose shifts from explanation to request, or when a paragraph runs past roughly five or six sentences.
Rule of thumb: cover the candidate sentence and reread the paragraph. If nothing is lost, it does not belong there.